The Big Vin Theory

We speak with the legendary Greg Lambrecht, inventor of Coravin. We ask about Coravin market stats, then about his invention process, whether the wine trade needs more innovation, whether science can take away from the …

We chat to Amanda Barnes about all things South America. The first 40 minutes or so are just the major regions and funnels that you should be aware …

We chat to Larry Lockshin about his research on wine marketing. What are the most effective ways to market wines? Are regional bodies effective? …

We talk to Diana Snowden Seysses - winemaker at two illustrious houses from other sides of the pond.  We ask what her approach to viticulture is, how …

We talk to Alex Maltman, Emeritus Professor Aberystwyth University, about geology and wine.  We ask how the geology of the vineyard impacts the …

We talk to Dr Christopher Chen, the UCCE Integrated Vineyard Systems Advisor for the North Coast region of California.  Chris's research focuses on …

We talk to Prof Sakkie Pretorius, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Macquarie University.  We ask what the major flavour compounds produced by yeasts are and how they do them?  How are different compounds (like rotundone) …

We chat with Brad Greatrix, of Nyetimber fame, on all things sparkling winemaking.  What are the best grape varieties to use?  How do you manage pH in a marginal climate?  What factors influence the finished texture? …

We talk to Laura Willoughby MBE - co-founder of Club Soda, the Mindful Drinking Movement.  We ask what the big trends in no/low are, what the wine …

We chat with K Felix G Åhrberg, Oenologist & Winemaker at Kullabergs Vingård.  We ask what it takes to plant a vineyard in a marginal climate and …

We chat to Cathy van Zyl MW about all things South Africa.  What are the key markers to look out for when funnelling between regions?  How has COVID affected the SA wine industry?  How have the styles and winemaking …

We talk to Dr Rachel Allison about her research at Cornell University into canned wines.  We ask how reductive compounds can be avoided and what the issues are with wines in cans.  Are there any wines that are not …

We talk to Aileen Sevier, VP Strategy & Marketing, Early Mountain Vineyards.  We ask what they plant and what interesting things they do in Virginina as well as the biggest problems they face and what the future …

We talk to Dr Cain Todd and ask just one exam question - "can one wine ever be objectively better than another?" 

Cain Todd is Senior Lecturer in …

We talk to Mags Janjo of MJ Wine Cellars about his work as a diversity ambassador and mentor.  Mags recently won the Golden Vines scholarship, and …

We talk with Tommy Nordam Jensen - CEO of Wiv.  In what has to be a crucial episode for those who want to look into the medium-term future and beyond, we ask what NFTs, blockchain and cryptocurrency actually mean?  How …

We talk to Nova Cadamatre MW - the first female winemaker MW in the USA about all things winemaking.  What yeasts and processing aids are best?  How do you rescue a stuck fermentation?  How safe is too safe for SO2? …

We talk with Claudio Martell, CEO of Bevica.  Bevica is an ERP Software platform created specifically for the wine and drinks industry.  We ask what ERP means, how much does it cost.  What are the differences for the …

We talk to Millie Milliken about drinks communication.  How do the different drinks categories differ?  What does successful communication look like? …

We chat with Ben Smith, founder of Freerun PR, about how to judge whether or not a brand is strong, whether or not supermarkets are a force for good on the global stage, whether or not new products are necessary for …

We talk to Geoffrey Moss MW about all things BC, including a SWOT analysis of the region, what the future may hold for it.  We also discuss his work …

We talk to Peter Yeung and Robert Vernick from X Chateau podcast https://www.xchateau.com/ , which every MW student should subscribe to!  We discuss …

For the final episode of Season 1, we thought we'd like to go out with a Big Bang (or should that be 'vin'?), so we talk to the legend that is Robert …

 We talk to Rod Smith MW of Riviera Wine Academy.  We ask what the wine market is like in the South of France?  How does the yachting industry work?  Do we need more educators?  Are clear glass bottles not a really bad …

We talk with Katherine Jones of ThinK Wine Group about what it takes to launch a new, lifestyle, low calorie wine brand.  What did the design process look like?  How was the gap in the market identified?  How has it …

We speak with Heather Daenitz from Craft and Cluster, photography and social media consultant and podcast host …

We talk to Kryss Speegle MW about bulk wine QA, QC, transport and global business.  What are the most important things to include on a tech sheet? …

We talk with Dr Belinda Kemp, Senior Staff Scientist in Oenology & Adjunct Professor about sparkling winemaking.  We ask what constitutes a 'cool …

We chat to Charlie Foley, Specialist and Auctioneer at Christie's.  We ask when it would be appropriate to write 'auctions' for a commercial …

We talk with Rob MacCulloch MW - contract winemaker in Hawkes Bay.  We ask Rob what the main considerations are for growing and purchasing fruit for …

We talk to Matt Wilson, award winning wine photographer, about wine imagery.  What makes a good photograph?  What are the most common mistakes people make?  What's more important, the image or the writing?  What makes a …

We talk with Justin Moran, co-founder of The Hidden Sea.  We ask whether or not environmental credentials are important in marketing wine?  What …

We talk to Surina Burger, Quality Assurance Manager at De Wet Wine Cellar, about how to design and implement a QA system in a winery. We ask what the different third party accreditations are, what constitutes a Critical …

We chat to Justin Howard-Sneyd MW, owner of Domaine of the Bee.  We ask what the challenges are in managing very old vines, how they deal with grape …

We talk with Pauline Vicard, Co-founder and Executive Director at ARENI Global.  We ask what "fine wine" is?  Who is drinking it?  Why?  Where is it …

We talk with Phil Reedman MW - principal consultant at Phil Reedman Master of Wine Pty Ltd.  Phil has spent over 37 years working in the wine …

We talk with Lia Jones on diversity in wine and the drinks trade more generally.  What does diversity look like?  What steps can people businesses take to create a more diverse atmosphere?  How do other industries …

We speak with Jacques Jordaan, at VinLog, Kuehne+Nagel about the main points of interest in wine logistics.  What are the main considerations when …

We chat to Rowena Curlewis at Denomination design agency - a specialist in wine and drinks packaging design.  We ask if the wine industry cares enough about packaging?  How does it compare with other drinks categories? …

We talk with Frances Bentley about buying for the UK on-trade.  How do the different categories differ?  What are the main buying considerations?  What are your private label strategies?  How do we bounce back after …

We talk to Dr Janice Wang on her research into blind tasting, 'crossmodalism' and more.  What pedagogical approach works best in terms of training? Does learning how to taste wine help with other skills?  What music …

We talk with Andrew Jones of Sunridge Nurseries about everything rootstock related - including his take that rootstocks will change the flavour of a wine more than the clone.  What are the biggest sellers, which are …

We talk to Nick Jackson MW, author of 'Beyond Flavour' (US link here).  We ask, from the perspective of the MW exam, how do you construct a convincing origin argument between wines of similar structures, eg Chardonnay? …

We ask Jennifer Simonetti-Bryan MW how to pass the MW tasting exam, so if you want to do that, you should probably listen to this.  Then we ask …

We chat with Tom Wilkinson, Vineyard Manager at Chapel Down Group plc, about all things UK Viticulture.  How do you manage workforce requirements? …

We talk to Etienne about life as a wine authenticator - what makes wine authentic?  What are the specific things to look out for of a fake wine? …

We talk to winemaking legend Brian Fletcher, who everyone should follow on Twitter.  We ask about the history of modern Aussie winemaking, what he …

We talk to Harry Crowther, founder of Grain to Grape.  Harry is a winemaker and ex-somm who runs Grain to Grape - a wine training company with a difference. We ask how sales can be maximised in the on-trade?  How can …

We interviewed Sabas Joosten, Head Sommelier at De Librije, a Three Michelin Star restaurant in Zwolle, The Netherlands.  De Librije has consistently …

We talk to Magdalena about the Ontarian market, how does the quasi-monopoly work, what are the regulations on grape-growing in Eastern Canada, where …

In this episode we talk to Dmitry Grozoubinski, Founder of ExplainTrade .  Dmitry is a negotiations and trade policy expert and Visiting Professor at …

We talk to Mike Best MW on what makes a good sales pitch, and on various topics around his RP on DTC sales and wine tourism for English Vineyards.  What constitutes a good cellar door experience, what are the future …

We talk with Anne Jones, Waitrose Category Manager: Wines, Beers and Spirits.  We discuss initiatives Waitrose ran and 'pivoted' during lockdown, consumer data and decision making, private label strategy, differences …

We talk to the legend that is Richard Hemming MW about wine in Singapore, looking at a SWOT analysis of the market, trends, legislation and brands.  We also ask what the future of wine writing is, how can (or can't) it …

We talk with Will Dennison - Head of Fine Wine at Pol Roger Portfolio.  Pol Roger surely needs no introduction, and Will heads up the fine wine …

This episode features Barbara Drew, Master of Wine.  Barbara heads up the events and education team at BBR, so we ask her what it takes to design a …

Our first ever episode asks Nik Darlington whether he views consolidations as a good thing, what the main things to consider are when launching a …

Here's a sneak peek at the upcoming podcast aimed for those studying the world of wine.